Quoting aerokiwi (Reply 4):Absolutely boooooootiful! Word to American Airlines... you don't need to crassly splash your flag across your tail to convey a sense of your home country.

One would have to actually have a culture in order to do so. I'm not allowed to reflect on or share my opinions on American "culture" here so perhaps AA should have used (insert blank) for their tail.

This A330 looks beautiful. It conveys my impressions of Fijian culture in similar way to what the old Air New Zealand scheme did on the DC10's. Reminds me of the days when when airlines represented so much more than they do now. Maybe we will see a resurgence in creativity coming from the smaller carriers of the world.

Quoting Thomas_Jaeger (Reply 3):When will the official rebranding take place? Is there a certain date from when they will be trading as Fiji Airways instead of Air Pacific?

Probably soon after they take delivery of at least one of these new planes. They already have started purely marketing themselves at Fiji Airways.

Quoting BlatantEcho (Reply 5):Flying them down to Fiji next week on the old 744. I'm sure the A332 will be an upgrade on the route!
How many are they getting and when will the 747s leave?

Maybe an upgrade, but I'd take an upper deck Economy seat over any other any day. 3 A332s replacing the 2 744s they have. The 744s will leave when they get enough A332s I suppose.. Seems like they'll have all 3 by November.

Quoting babybus (Reply 6):Hate to go against the grain but I don't like it. That livery doesn't summon up visions of tropical pacific island to me.

Might look better on an African airline.

I think you've said this before, and it always seems tinged with... how to be delicate here... a euro-centric bias as to what a tropical island nation is (palm trees, sand, sun, sea). There are plenty of those airline liveries in the world and they're all pretty forgettable. This one conveys both culture and sophistication without resorting to stereotype, which should be applauded.

But what if it's a rich cultural destination just as much visited for its Polynesian/Melanesian history? I don't think Fiji brings in the typical holiday traveler from Europe or North America anyhow, and by the look of it, those seem to be the only people who don't think this reflect Fiji properly.

The new livery surely grabs attention but as others have said and what I've said as well, the livery lacks the turqouise blue tropical colors that the Fiji Islands have. Something turquoise blue in the livery will make the livery a lot better instead of the anti-Tropical dark colors it has now. Even so, I hope to photograph this aircraft some day.

Quoting babybus (Reply 6):
Hate to go against the grain but I don't like it. That livery doesn't summon up visions of tropical pacific island to me.

Might look better on an African airline.

That's exactly what I love about it. It goes against the cliches of what defines the tropical pacific and very tastefully incorporates a much different, more authentic approach. There's a great deal more to Fiji than simply turquoise or rainbow colors, and rather than simply mimicking the numerous airlines that've already done that, the whole Fiji Airways branding instead proudly focuses on the people and heritage of Fiji.

Looks like a traditional Fijian design to me. I have a modest collection of Fijian hand-crafted pieces (mostly baskets and weapons) and that tail would fit right in next to them. The colour evokes the cloudiness of kava bowl!

Quoting yyz717 (Reply 15):Not exactly fitting for a sunny holiday destination known for its flora.

Uhh, real people live there too, ya know? And they might, like, need to travel for reasons other than holidays. Would you appreciate a new Air Canada livery that featured a red and black checkered lumberman's coat or a mountie hat?

Quoting NZ107 (Thread starter):Flying them down to Fiji next week on the old 744. I'm sure the A332 will be an upgrade on the route!

Quite nice, different due to the (ethno?) graphics. Although the basically boring current trend, naked fuselage with titles, is also found here. The decor on the engines do add a bit to a positive impression. It would have been nice to see the red circular tail motive also on the nose cone.

Quoting BlatantEcho (Reply 5):Flying them down to Fiji next week on the old 744. I'm sure the A332 will be an upgrade on the route!

In Eco perhaps, but I´m sure business class on the 744, even on an old one, due to the unique 747 concept is better than a A330 can ever deliver.

I love the way it looks...very sophisticated. If I were to change anything, I would put the 'airways' bit next to (rather than below) the 'Fiji' bit so as to make it look a little less front heavy. Can't wait to see it.

Quoting mariner (Reply 12):To those of us who live in the region, it's probably about as "South Pacific" as you can get.

Quoting A388 (Reply 21):the livery lacks the turqouise blue tropical colors that the Fiji Islands have. Something turquoise blue in the livery will make the livery a lot better instead of the anti-Tropical dark colors it has now.

If that becomes a problem, they can always bring back the Island sticker:

Does anybody know what the 'upgraded' 737s will be like? The press release linked above says that the entire fleet will be repainted and upgraded by the end of this year -- are they getting new seats, IFE etc or just new seat covers etc to match the colours used in the A330s?

Quoting na (Reply 24):In Eco perhaps, but I´m sure business class on the 744, even on an old one, due to the unique 747 concept is better than a A330 can ever deliver.

They're installing lieflat seats (the same as SQ's regional J and VA's A330 J) which represent a rather significant upgrade in comfort and amenities. For the vast majority of people (ie every single person in the world who isn't on this forum), the A330 will be a far better experience than the existing 747s.

For those people who think the new livery does not represent the feel of Fiji, it is worth noting that the tail design is meant to represent traditional "tapa cloth" which is produced widely throughout the Pacific islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. In Fiji tapa cloth is made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree (Broussonetia papyrifera). Tapa cloth motifs are an emblematic image of tropical life in Pacific island cultures. Here is an image of a typical Fijian tapa cloth:

This livery is STUNNING and a great representation of the Fijian islands culture. I think it would have been quite nice to have some variations of the tapa design (like BA did with their world tails) having several individual tapa styles, but this will do.

I find it amusing the people who are expecting a rainbow, or a flower,, or something blue or green or even a toucan just because it's an island. Some probably do not even realize Fiji is not Polynesian, but Melanesian. Fiji also has almost a half population of Indians , and you''ll see Hindi writing on signs, and Hindu temples and curry restaurants all over,

What an incredibly beautiful choice of colours (two shades of brown or Earth) and black. Hardly replicated by other airlines.

This is a very bold change that has given it instant association with Fiji. I love it and hope to see it in person someday. Maybe, just maybe, like the B744s, it might just come to Singapore for maintenance. Or at least pass through Singapore on its delivery flight.